Alcaraz demands a change at the Grand Slams: "You can't finish a match at 3:30 AM"

Although we are in the week of the Laver Cup, the truth is that many debates from the last US Open are still open, where the discussion about playing matches in five sets was once again in the balance. Carlos Alcaraz, a protagonist wherever he goes, spoke about the topic a few hours ago.

The Murcian can speak from experience; there’s no need for anyone to tell him. His quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton ended at an unreasonable hour, stretching the clock past 3:00 AM, leading to a party ending where neither the players, nor the audience, nor the tournament were satisfied. It is already tough to play a match lasting almost five hours, so there’s no need to add a conclusion at nightclub hours. Now, how can we address this issue?

Alcaraz explained in London, before debuting this Friday partnering with Jakub Mensik, what it means for a tennis player to compete until those hours. “For an athlete, finishing at 3:30 AM means you have to leave the court at 4:30 and return to the hotel. You won’t sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 AM,” he noted. The problem, according to Alcaraz, doesn’t end when the match is over. The subsequent rest and recovery directly affect the following days and can create a difference among players depending on when they competed.

Carlos Alcaraz called on Grand Slam organisers to stop matches running into the early hours after his US Open title defence ended in a 3:33 AM local-time thriller against Ben Shelton 🗣️

The quarterfinal, which began on Tuesday night, lasted four hours and 28 minutes and became… pic.twitter.com/FQ9ura2UOl

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) September 25, 2026

“To recover for the next match, the person you are playing against has an advantage,” the Spaniard explained, before making a direct request. “It’s too much; they will have to do something. I’m not saying it should be 3:30 AM, but even finishing at 12:00 AM is already too late,” emphasized the one from El Palmar.

Alcaraz calls for matches to end at a reasonable hour

For example, Wimbledon currently sets a deadline of 11:00 PM for matches, while Roland Garros, the US Open, and the Australian Open do not have an equivalent maximum time. The problem is not new either, as in 2024, Novak Djokovic finished his match against Lorenzo Musetti in Paris at 3:07 AM.

Alcaraz also pointed out the issue for fans. He believes that such late matches lose part of their audience because many spectators have to leave the stadium or go to bed to work the next day. “It’s a shame that a match like that didn’t reach many people,” he said. The debate also extends to the format of the Grand Slam. One of the possible solutions would be to reduce men's matches from five sets to three, although Andre Agassi has opposed that possibility and has argued that great champions should earn their titles by playing the best of five.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz exige un cambio a los Grand Slam: “No puedes terminar un partido a las 3:30”